Of Loyalties and Love
by Millipedes R Awesome
Summary: Robin proposes to Starfire, but she has to say no, because she must go back to Tamaran to get married to the prince of Tazaar, keeping Tamaran from being taken over, and her friends safe. What she doesn't know is they are moving on to another planet ... Loyalties will be trusted. A war bigger than the Titans have ever encountered will come to pass. Can love overcome?
1. The Proposal

**D.L. **

**6/7/2012 - ?/?/?**

**Of Loyalties and Love**

_**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING RELATED TO THE TEEN TITANS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. CRAP. :( HOWEVER, I STILL OWN THIS STORYLINE! **__**YAY! :)**_(NOT TEEN TITANS, AND ANYTHING RELATED TO THEM IN THE STORYLINE)

Dear Readers,

Aloha! I'm baaaack (after 1 day, lol) with my sixth FanFiction! I guess I don't have to put story summaries here for convenience anymore since the site has it on the actual page with the story now. I'll only put it there when there's extra I can't fit. By the way, sorry the summary was sooo long, but there's a lot of things happening in this story; even more than I wrote above. It's hard to summarize a multi-part story into 384 characters. This should be my longest story yet (only by about two chapters, though)! Please read and review if you'd like, but no flames! (Remember Flamezie!)

**-Millipedes R Awesome**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Proposal**

Tonight was the night. He could feel it. That ring had been burning a hole in his pocket for way too long. How could she say no? But then again, how could she say yes? Maybe he was doing this too soon. But then again, they _had_ been dating for 4 years. They were 22 now. That's old enough to get married right?

_"Ugh, all this going back and forth does not make for a good decision. As much as I hate to do this, I need to get a second opinion ..."_

* * *

"Finally! Your gonna -"

"Keep it down Cy, you don't wanna tell the whole tower!" said Robin.

"Congratulations, you've finally got the guts."

Robin glared at Cyborg.

"I need some advice."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it's too soon? I mean … do you think she'll say yes?"

"Dude, one: you've been dating for 4 years. Some people get married after 1 and 2, and stay that way. And, two: Starfire adores you. I have a feeling she's been waiting for this. She can't say no; she loves you too much."

"Thanks, Cy. I'm going to do it tonight at the party."

"That's perfect. I'm so excited for the party! We never did have one for defeating the Brotherhood of Evil."

"Yeah, you guys have been bugging me about it for years.

"I'm glad Starfire agreed with us."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Man, do you not realize you give into whatever she asks for?"

"I do _not_!"

"Whipped."

"Oh, come on, don't pretend you're not the same way with Bumble Bee!"

"No I'm not!"

Robin raised the pitch of his voice and said "Sparky! Come over here right now, and take care of me! I'm sick!"

Robin then made the sound of a whip with his mouth and demonstrated the same thing with his hand.

"THAT'S ... different. Bee's a lot scarier than Starfire when she's angry ..."

Robin chuckled, and Cyborg grumbled.

"Rob, can we change the subject now? Please?"

"Fine. Anyway, the party is better late than never."

"Yeah, I guess so. Oh! Can I tell BB and Rae?"

"Fine, just tell them not to tell anyone else! Don't you either!"

"Don't worry, I won't."

* * *

The party had started. Beast Boy, Aqualad, Tramm, Herald, and Wildebeest were playing videogames. Cyborg and Gnarrk were having an eating contest at the snack table. Kole and Jericho were rooting both on (although Jericho was doing so silently). Mas, Menos, and Kid Flash were racing on water; 100 laps around the tower to see who was fastest. Jinx was watching them, and cheering her boyfriend (Kid Flash) on. Speedy, Hot Spot, Argent, and Pantha were on the dance floor the Titans had created. Speedy and Argent were dancing together, as well as Hot Spot and Pantha. They had just recently become couples. Melvin, Teether, Timmy Tantrum, and Bobby were playing with toys in a corner of the room. Red Star, Bushido, Killowat, Thunder, and Lightning were keeping an eye on them (there _was_ wine present), but talking at the same time. Raven, Bumble Bee, and Wonder Girl were talking in another corner of the room. Robin was 'making sure the party was running smoothly', which was his excuse for pacing. He was so nervous; it felt like his heart was beating out of his chest. To make matters worse, somehow everyone knew he was proposing tonight, showing it by winking, staring at him, giggling, or whispering 'Good luck.' into his ear. He was going to kill Beast Boy and Cyborg.

Robin walked up to Beast Boy and hit his arm.

"Hey!"

"I thought I told you not to tell anyone!"

Beast Boy's controller made a dying sound.

"Dude! You made me loose my game! And I didn't tell anyone! Why would I wanna get in more trouble after that prank I pulled on you!" said Beast Boy.

After his seriousness faded, he laughed at the memory of Robin covered in shaving cream.

Robin grumbled at the thought, then moved on to his next suspect.

Robin walked up to Cyborg and hit his arm. However, it didn't do much good, considering he was mostly made of metal, but it did get his attention.

"I _know_ I told _you_ not to tell anyone!"

"Hey man, I didn't tell anyone. You made it pretty clear. Plus, remember how mad you got at me when I told everyone you and Star were dating, and you weren't ready to tell? I'm not getting myself into that one again …" said Cyborg.

"But that's impossible! The only people who knew were you, Beast Boy and … Raven?"

Cyborg shrugged and started another eating competition with Gnarrk.

Robin tentatively walked up to Raven.

"Sorry girls, but can I talk to Raven alone?"

"Be our guest." Wonder Girl said, winking at the Boy Wonder. Bumble Bee was standing next to her, staring Robin down with a smirk.

Robin dismissed the gestures and pulled Raven aside.

"Raven, everyone seems to know I'm proposing to Starfire tonight. I asked Beast Boy and Cyborg if they told anyone, but they said no and provided good reason. So I was wondering if you … "

"Umm, I think Beast Boy needs me …" said Raven.

The empath sunk through the floor.

Robin noticed that ever since she had been dating Beast Boy, she had become more and more social and even a bit mischievous … he was definitely rubbing off on her. She also seemed to use that excuse more and more often. Robin let it go, knowing the damage was already done and not feeling like trying to get answers out of Raven.

Bumble Bee and Wonder Girl walked up to Robin.

"So … I guess congratulations are in order." said Bumble Bee.

Robin slid his hand over his face.

"Yeah … thanks."

Just then, Starfire walked into the room.

She looked distraught. Then again, anyone would be after the message she'd just received. Starfire stared blankly ahead until Robin came up to her.

"Hey Star!" said Robin as he kissed his girlfriend on the lips.

"… Oh! Greetings Robin." said Starfire. Normally Robin would have known by the look on her face and the way she was talking that something was wrong, but he was too excited and scared to notice.

Starfire stayed in the spot she was in, staring in another direction. She was not quite able to look into Robin's eyes.

"Aren't you going to join the par- "

All of a sudden Bumble Bee and Raven came up behind them.

"Hey Star!" said Bumble Bee.

Starfire jumped and starbolts appeared in her hands. She whipped around.

"Chill, Star it's just us." said Bumble Bee.

"Oh. My apologies." said Starfire.

"It's fine. Come talk with us! Oh ... Robin you don't mind, do you?"

"Uh, sorry, but right now I do mind. We're about to start the toast."

Bumble Bee, Raven, and Wonder Girl got Robin's hidden meaning quickly.

"Oh! Go ahead Robin. We'll all talk later Starfire," said Raven.

Starfire merely nodded.

Robin took Starfire's hand, and led her into the center of the room. Kid Flash, Mas and Menos had finished their race, which was a dead tie. They and Jinx were back in the common room. Robin picked up a glass of wine and a fork. He tapped it against the glass.

"Hey everybody, may I have your attention please?" said Robin

Everyone turned to look at them; big grins on everyone's faces.

"I just wanted to say, although this is 4 years late, I think everyone did an awesome job defeating the Brother Hood of Evil. I'm glad the Titans North, South, and West have been formed since we've beaten them, and I look forward to many more team formations. Great work everyone."

Robin raised his glass, so did everyone else (the Titans who were under-aged had sparkling apple cider in their glasses). There were choruses of woo hoo's around the room.

"And …" started Robin.

This caught Starfire's attention. She thought that was all he had to say. Robin took Starfire's other hand.

"… I wanted to do this in front of all of our friends … "

**Starfire's Point of View:**

I am very confused. What else could Robin possibly need to toast to? I must leave … soon.

"… Star, I love you more than life itself. We've been dating for 4 years, and I've finally realized that I'm ready to take the next step … " Robin said.

No. He is not going to … X'Hal. Not now. Of course, I must go just when there are so many good things happening in my life …

Robin knelt down on one knee.

"Starfire, will you marry me?"

I feel a tear sliding down my cheek. They think it is a tear of happiness, but I know it is a tear of distress. I would very much like to say yes … but I cannot.

**Normal Point of View:**

Robin opened the ring box. It was a tri-stone ring. The middle diamond was 4 carats. It sparkled like Starfire's eyes. The other two stones, which were emeralds, were as green as her eyes. On the ring was an engraving that said: Forever My Star.

More tears started to slide down Starfire's face.

"Uh ... I ... umm ... "

Starfire couldn't get her words together. She couldn't bring herself to say ...

" ... N-no ..."

Everyone looked shocked. They thought, by the way Starfire acted around Robin, she would have squealed and said yes immediately. Something was wrong.

"What? No?"

"...I mean yes, but I, I cannot. I love you. I am ... sorry ... "

She couldn't tell him why. She just had to leave and hope he wouldn't catch her. Starfire ran off in tears to her room.

"Wait, Star, what's wrong?"

Robin ran after her, leaving a room full of confused heroes behind him.

**Author's Note:**

Writer's Empathy - A disorder in which the writer feels the same emotions as the characters she/he's writing about.

Does anybody else experience that? I just did; a lot. For example, I was getting butterflies when Robin was. Also, I had trouble typing when Starfire declined Robin's proposal. About the Pantha/Hot Spot pairing, I just needed another one in there, and I thought it would be interesting. I've never seen it before. It sounds odd, doesn't it?

Okay, since I have gotten hilarious results, I want to continue, from my story "1st Date Dilemmas", asking you all to recall one funny thing you heard today and adding it into your review. You don't have to, but it would be nice. It brightens my day even more! :) Here is mine: "Hey, gorgeouses!" 'Tis not a word, lol. I will request this in all chapters of the story, even if I don't write it down! Anyway, please review! Toodles!

**-Millipedes R Awesome**


	2. Leaving

**Chapter 2: Leaving**

"Okay, I guess I have to be the one to break the silence here." a voice piped up.

Everyone turned to look at Bumble Bee.

"Did anyone find that really weird and out of character?"

"Yeah. Starfire told me she wanted to marry him someday. I wonder why she said no." said Kole.

"I cannot think of any good reason … " said Pantha.

"Which means … something's up." said Raven.

Everyone shook his or her heads in agreement.

"Now that I think about it, the signs were all there. I mean, clue 1: she comes out of her room to the party an hour late, clue 2: she was jumpy, and clue 3: she looked pretty overwrought …" reasoned Wonder Girl.

"I should have picked up on it before and confronted her. I was too distracted by the proposal to sense her emotions." said Raven as she shook her head and sighed.

Silence took over the room for a moment.

"That's too bad … I'm not much of a romantic or anything, but I was seriously rooting for them. I've never seen anything like their relationship before …" Argent said.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment before someone decided to speak again.

"Should we not go and see what is going on? They are our friends, no? We must help them through whatever this is." suggested Red Star.

"No. Whatever it is, it was too personal for Starfire to tell us, even Robin. You guys know how she shares everything. We should give them privacy and let them tell us when they're ready" said Aqualad.

The heroes all sat in one place or another; those with boyfriends or girlfriends leaned into them for comfort, all praying for a miracle.

*****Meanwhile … *****

Starfire slammed her door behind her and slid down to the floor. She couldn't stop herself from shaking. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn there was a waterfall gushing from her eyes.

"Starfire, stop. You cannot afford to cry right now," she told herself.

Robin was on her tail; there wasn't much time.

Starfire quickly pulled herself together in the best way that she possibly could, and went to her closet. Just then she heard a knock on the door.

"Starfire! What's wrong? Open up!" said Robin.

She didn't have more than a minute before he overrode the lock on the door.

She hastily pulled out the dress she wore to get married to that horrible slug creature. She wasn't supposed to have arranged marriages anymore. She also pulled out her crown. These were supposed to be for if she ever got married on Earth. It was Tamaranean tradition. Now she was going to Tamaran again? It didn't seem fair. She tried not to think of what she witnessed on the message she received earlier from her sister … Blackfire.

**_Flashback:_**

_Starfire grabbed the perfume Robin gave her for her birthday. It was the final touch before she went out to the party. She could already hear people arriving, and couldn't stand being in her room any longer from the pent-up excitement. She needed to be around people, especially her close friends that she hadn't seen in a while._

_"Let me guess, Robin gave that to you?"_

_Starfire whipped around to the T.V. screen. She knew that conniving voice._

_"What do _you_ want?" said Starfire with pure distaste._

_"Now, is that anyway to greet your elder sister?"_

_"After you betrayed me twice, you deserve worse."_

_"Come on Sis, I'm not here to fight."_

_"Then what have you interrupted my evening for!"_

_"Fine, I'll be blunt. Your coming back to Tamaran, now."_

_"You cannot make me come to Tamaran. I banished you. Are you there … at this very moment?"_

_"Yes, and guess what? With the help of a certain Tazaaran army, I've taken over our pathetic home planet."_

_Starfire's eyes widened._

_"No, Sister! Do you know what the Tazaarans have done to innocent planets in the past? How could you join them? Your family and race are on Tamaran!"_

_"You really are a fool, aren't you? After what I've done in the past, and how you've ruined my plans, do you think I would hesitate to do this?"_

_"Where is Galfore?"_

_"In a dungeon, rotting. It really was a poor decision on your part to make him Grand Ruler. It was easy to take over with him in charge."_

_Starfire bared her teeth, seething with pure rage._

_"Why do you need _me_ on Tamaran?"_

_"Don't you want to save your planet … and your friends?"_

_"What have you done to them?"_

_"Nothing noticeable … yet. The tower has been filled with relshin gas. If you come to Tamaran, and marry the Prince of Tazaar, I won't have them destroy our planet, or have your friends burned from the inside out by filling the tower with yealor gas. When those two gases mix, it _is_ quite messy."_

_"How do I know you are being truthful about my friends or Tamaran? Last time it was all a lie!"_

_"Oh! Would you like to see for yourself?"_

_The camera then showed what looked like a major city, or at least what used to be. Everything was either up in flames or reduced to dust. Several men, women and children were on the ground, lives lost in a puddle of blood. The few survivors were hiding under rubble. What used to be a strong city was now at it's knees._

_" … No." breathed Starfire._

_"If you don't come, this kind of destruction is only the beginning. As for your friends, why don't you find out for yourself?"_

_Blackfire held up a communication device._

_"Rygan, release the … "_

_"Stop! I … will go."_

_"That's my good little sis. You have 3 hours."_

_"3 hours! But – "_

_"You better get ready. Oh, and have a nice party."_

_Blackfire smirked, then the screen shut off and Starfire sunk to the floor._

**End Flashback**

Starfire swiftly pulled the dress over her uniform.

"Starfire, whatever this is, we can work through it! I deserve to know!"

Starfire put the crown on her head and tried to tune out what Robin was saying. It wouldn't be much longer until he talked her out of this.

"Okay, that's it! For God's sake, I just proposed to you! I'm coming in whether you like it or not!"

Starfire knew she only had about 15 seconds left, but she had to write a quick note to him. She couldn't tell him what she was doing, or he wouldn't let her go, but she couldn't leave him thinking she didn't love him.

Starfire quickly grabbed some note paper and a pen, and scribbled:

_I will always love you._

She left it on her bed and opened the window.

Robin hacked her door faster then she thought he would. The door opened. Starfire just stood there, frozen in shock.

"Are you … running away?"

Starfire didn't turn around to him. Her hands were still on the windowsill.

Robin cautiously walked up to her.

"Starfire, talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

As soon as Robin's hands made contact with her shoulder, Starfire broke down sobbing. She collapsed into Robin's arms.

As much as Robin wanted to get some answers out of her, he knew she needed to cry. Robin picked her up bridal style, brought her to her bed, sat down, and rubbed circles on her back.

"Shh … it's okay … it's okay."

They stayed like that for about 15 minutes before Starfire decided to speak.

"I … am so s-sorry …" Starfire choked out between sobs.

"It's okay … So, are you gonna tell me what's wrong now?"

Starfire sat up in Robin's lap, looked him in the eyes, and told him about Blackfire's message.

Robin thrashed his hands onto her bed.

"You don't deserve this! Why does she keep doing this to you?"

"I do not know, Robin. She hates me, but never told me why."

"How do we know this isn't a trick like last time?"

"Robin, she showed me the destruction the Tazaarans have already caused to one of our major cities … "

"And the gas?"

"I do not wish to risk it. She threatened to release the gas during the message."

Robin looked about ready to kill someone at this point.

"I can't believe this … "

Starfire looked away from Robin.

"Robin … I have to leave … soon. It takes me an hour to fly to Tamaran, so I only have thirty minutes left here."

"… No, you're not going."

"Robin! Your lives and the lives of my people are in danger! Galfore has been imprisoned, my parents are dead, Blackfire is evil, and Wildfire never came back from the planet Eastar! For all we know he could be dead as well! I am their princess, so I am the only person left to save them … "

"We'll make a plan … we'll, we'll find a way! We always do …"

"Robin, I am sorry to be so harsh, but you must except the reality that there is no way around this. It is too late …"

"It's never too late …"

Starfire started to tear up again.

"Robin, do not make this harder than it already is … I love you … so very much, and you do not have any idea of how much I wished to say yes earlier, but I must save my loved ones."

Starfire gave Robin a sweet kiss.

"Goodbye, my love."

Starfire got up from the bed and started to walk away.

"WAIT!"

Starfire turned around.

"At least say goodbye to everyone."

Starfire sighed. Goodbyes were too hard, but she knew she needed to see everyone, one more time.

"Fine."

Robin took Starfire's hand and led her, sniffling, down the hallway. The door opened, and they saw their friends' concerned faces.

"You guys … Star's been summoned back to Tamaran."

There were choruses of whats around the room. There was also a wave of understanding. Everything made sense now.

Robin explained Starfire's predicament to everyone, as Starfire was in no emotional condition.

"Wow, that's ironic – OUCH!" said Kid Flash. Jinx had slapped him.

"Stop being insensitive!" chastised Jinx.

All the girls immediately pulled Starfire toward them to comfort her; meanwhile Cyborg was running some tests on Robin.

"Yeah, there's definitely some foreign matter in your respiratory system. The problem is: it's disguising itself as a body cell. White Blood Cells won't attack it. However, I have the opposite problem. The matter is so foreign to me, it could take me months to figure this one out." Cyborg explained.

Robin grunted. Blackfire wasn't lying.

Starfire had hugged everyone in the room, including the boys, and had gravitated back to the girls again.

"Blackfire wasn't lying. The foreign matter from the gas is in all of your respiratory systems. If Blackfire releases another gas … it'll burn us from the inside out."

There were wide eyes around the room.

"Why don't we just leave the tower?" suggested Jinx.

"Blackfire hired professionals to fill the tower with that gas. The matter that is in your lungs, it is like a tracking device. They can use a tracker to easily find you …" said Starfire.

Starfire looked at all the sad faces around the room. She couldn't help but feel responsible for everything.

"I am so sorry for ruining your evening, and putting you all in danger. I thank you all for welcoming me to Earth and being so kind these past 6 years." said Starfire

"Starfire, it's not your fault … we're just … worried about you." said Raven

"Thank you for your concern, but you need not worry, I will be fine. I am merely getting married."

Robin grimaced. _"But not to the right person ..." _he thought.

Starfire looked at the clock. It read 10:58.

"I must be going now. I will miss you all so much. Thank you for everything."

Just as Starfire was about to fly out the window, Robin couldn't take it anymore. he had tried to trick himself into thinking that everything would be okay in these past 28 minutes, but he had finally realized: the love of his life is leaving forever to marry another man.

"No! I told you you're NOT going! I can't just sit here and watch you leave me forever!" said Robin.

"Robin, please! Let me go!"

Robin started to run to the window that Starfire was leaving out of. All of a sudden he was enveloped in black.

"Robin! Let her go! This is not just about you! This is also her entire planet we're talking about!" said Raven.

"No!" Robin protested.

Robin kicked at Raven's energy as he watched Starfire slip away. Before she disappeared, Robin saw her mouth: _I'm sorry. I love you._

**Author's Note:**

Hey! You guys are back! YAY! *happy dance* Okay, I know this chapter was a relatively good length (was it?), but the next chapter will probably be really short. Sorry. :( There's not a lot to say in it, and yet that's when we'll be getting into the real plot! ;) Sorry this update was so slow, and I apologize if my future updates will be slow as well (my schedule is about to get a bit crazy). HOPEFULLY my updates will take a week or less. Even if that doesn't work out, I will never abandon this story, unless I die (God forbid), even if I get bored with it. By the way, I should be submitting a one-shot soon. It's called: How?, it's a Robin and Starfire story (Yes, again), it's rated T, and it's a tragedy/supernatural FanFiction. Please read if you'd like! :) Anyway, please come back later and read the 3rd chapter! My request from chapter 1 still stands! Review, por favor! :)

**-Millipedes R Awesome**


	3. New Target

**Chapter 3: New Target**

Robin groaned in frustration as the black veil dropped from him. After he gave a murderous look to Raven, and anyone else who was in his path, he stomped off to his room without a word.

The room became a deathly kind of quiet. Even Beast Boy couldn't think of a joke at this moment. Raven put her hood over her head. All of a sudden she felt someone tugging at her cloak. It was Melvin.

"Starfire's gonna be okay ... right?" she questioned.

Raven looked into her hopeful blue eyes and lifted her up into her arms. Usually, she was not one for physical contact, except with Beast Boy sometimes, but she needed the positive energy of a 9-year-old at the moment.

"I hope so ... "

*****Meanwhile ...*****

Starfire flew so quickly that the tears that came didn't even have any time on her face before they evaporated. That was the hardest thing she ever had to do. She looked at the Earth from just outside of its atmosphere. Leaving it and the people who inhabited it shattered her heart. Earth was where she was supposed to get married. Earth was where she was supposed to have children. Earth was where she was supposed to grow old with her love ... Starfire was shocked out of her oblivious trance and turned away to officially leave her home ... her family. The cold, loneliness of space only contributed to the building angst inside her chest.

Before she knew it, she had been flying for 55 minutes. She could see her little pink and white planet in the distance. As much as she loved Tamaran, she just couldn't call it home anymore. It was simply where she was born. She entered Tamaran's atmosphere, and soon she could she the palace. The familiar pink sky was above her.

Her feet touched the ground. In a flash Tamaranean soldiers surrounded her and lead her into the palace. Blackfire was there to greet her with a sneer.

"Hello, Sister. You know, I think we've done this before." Blackfire ridiculed.

Starfire bit back a scowl.

"I'm sure you'd love to meet your betrothed …"

Blackfire gestured behind her and a rather handsome, yet scary looking young man came into view.

"Starfire, I present to you, Prince Meutoric of Tazaar."

Prince Meutoric's hair was an iridescent black color. The length was reminiscent of Aqualad's hair. His skin was iridescent as well, however, it was an iridescent pearl. His eyes were rather peculiar. It was as if all the colors of the rainbow were swimming in a pool of water. They never stopped moving. It was captivating. Starfire couldn't stop looking at the colors. She snapped herself out of it quickly. He wore a regal red tunic and pants, his tunic having shoulder pads and the Tazaaran insignia: a zharka. Zharkas were the most feared creatures in the galaxy that could suck the life out of a person just by looking at them. The Tazaaran's clothing was definitely influenced by humans, especially the silver crown he was wearing that resembled the crowns Starfire had seen princes were on TV. He also wore a long red half-cape made of a silk like fabric. The ends of the fabric were made of a soft, silvery material. Except for his hair, skin and eyes, all of his features were human. He had a muscular build and looked to be about 30.

Starfire was silent. He may have been handsome, but he wasn't Robin. She looked away.

"Starfire, don't be rude, greet him." Blackfire said with her signature smirk.

"Komand'r, please. It is all right. You _have_ informed me that she was already in a relationship with someone. This must be very hard for her. Do not worry dear, I assure you that I will be a better man than that Earthling boy ever was." he scoffed.

That sentence was all it took for Starfire to realize she was about to marry a condescending jerk.

"I'll give you 2 ... let's say ... 5 minutes to get to know each other." said Blackfire.

Starfire rolled her eyes, a move she'd picked up from Robin. Sure, 5 minutes was a _generous_ amount of time to get to know a person.

Blackfire left the room.

Prince Meutoric walked up toward Starfire, who remained as icy as possible. She didn't like this man. He was just radiating ruthlessness, derogation and overconfidence.

_"I can only hope that I will get through this marriage without being drowned by his personality." _she thought_._ Starfire stopped herself.

_"He is already changing _my_ personality! I must remain positive about this situation. If I do not, I will be even more miserable. I must promise myself that whatever he may say, I will not let him affect me."_

Meutoric looked Starfire up and down.

"My, my, my, I must say, you _are_ the prettiest troq I've ever seen."

_This_ was going to be hard. Starfire cleared her throat.

"Excuse me?" Starfire said as politely as she could, trying very hard to remember her promise to herself after 30 seconds.

Meutoric got very close to Starfire.

"It is a compliment. You should take it, Koriand'r," He cupped her face. "because I will not be giving many more."

Starfire yanked her head away from him.

"Call me Starfire. It is my name." she said coldly.

Meutoric put his hand on her shoulder.

"My dear Koriand'r, I may call you whatever I wish, because after tonight," He whispered into her ear, "I'll own you."

Starfire's eyes widened. She whipped around to him. Her eyes were glowing a dangerous neon green and starbolts appeared in her hands.

"That may be so on _your_ planet, but on Tamaran, women are not possessions! We are warriors! So _I_ do not have to follow _your_ sexist customs!" Starfire yelled.

Meutoric turned his back to her.

"Oh! Do you want me to burn your friends and destroy your pitiful planet?"

Starfire was shocked.

"... Wh-what?"

Meutoric displayed a sinister smile. He turned around to Starfire once more and got so close to her face, she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

"Let us get everything clear now. You will do whatever I say, when I say it. You will not contradict me. You will only speak when spoken to. You will not fight back and you will be happy about it ... or ... I think you already know what will happen. Do I make myself clear?"

Starfire scowled.

"... Yes."

Meutoric laughed.

"You are weak! Or as you say it, _rutha_."

Starfire almost tackled him. Then, she remembered the threat ... and her dignity.

"I have you in the palm of my hand."

Starfire kept her face emotionless. She wouldn't let him have the satisfaction. Meutoric started to walk away. He turned his head back toward her.

"Don't worry dear. If you just follow those simple rules, you will be treated like the princess you are."

* * *

It was almost time. Galfore had been temporarily released from imprisonment. Starfire was on his arm waiting for the doors to open. Several tears made their way down Starfire's face. She soon started sniffling. She wasn't supposed to cry, at least not on Tamaran, or else she would be considered _rutha_, but she didn't care. She had been called that once already today; it wouldn't have made a difference.

Galfore took notice of this and knelt down to her level.

"Starfire, I know that this situation is not ideal, but it is much better than marrying that giant slug creature is it not?" said Galfore. He smiled.

Starfire knew he was trying to make her feel better.

"Galfore, you do not understand … Robin … proposed to me today."

Galfore's eyes widened.

"I am so sorry my little bumgorf." Galfore put a hand on her shoulder. "I always knew you and Robin had feelings for each other, but was not informed you were in a relationship with him."

Starfire dropped to the floor in her wedding dress sobbing.

"I am_ rutha_, Galfore! Prince Meutoric has _gladly_ informed me that he owns me and I must do whatever he commands me to do, or the same threats that were made to me earlier apply. I would happily take that slug creature over an ego-centric, controlling prince any day."

Galfore looked at Starfire's kneeling form. She had practically lost all assurance that things would turn out all right. Starfire wiped her tears away and stood up again. Galfore looked her directly in the eyes.

"Starfire, no matter what may happen, promise me you will remember that _true_ love, something that you and Robin share, will always overcome the greatest battles."

Starfire stopped sniffling. Something now flickered inside her ... hope.

"I … I promise."

Just then the golden doors opened.

Galfore quickly stood up, and tugged gently on Starfire's arm to get her out of the daze she was in. They walked down the aisle slowly. Starfire prepared herself to meet her fate. She looked at Prince Meutoric standing at the end, waiting for her with a smirk that matched Blackfire's. Starfire saw the faces of her people around her. Their eyes were full of pity. Even _they_ knew what a jerk Meutoric was.

After the long, pain-staking walk down the aisle, she came face to face with her fiancé.

"My humble servants, we meet at midnight to bind my sister to this dashing Tazaaran prince in merry betrothal. Can any among us offer reason why these two should not be together?" said Blackfire.

All was silent.

"That's what I thought. Then, do you Prince Meutoric, take Princess Starfire to be your wife as decreed by the Grand Ruler of Tamaran?"

"I do … unless you would like to marry me … "

"Oh, Meu-Meu, stop it!" Blackfire said flirtatiously.

Starfire almost gagged. After Blackfire finished laughing, she continued.

"And do you Princess Starfire, take Prince Meutoric to be your husband?"

Starfire said nothing.

"Sister, I wouldn't be a coward this time if I were you."

Starfire snapped her eyes shut, and took a deep breath.

"I do." said Starfire with great difficulty.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Starfire half expected Blackfire to say 'you may kiss the bride'. Then she remembered she wasn't on Earth. It was customary for the man to bow and the woman to curtsy at this point. They did so. Everyone cheered. Meutoric and Starfire walked back down the aisle together and out of the room. Tamaranean and Tazaaran guards greeted them.

"Prince Meutoric, sir, the ship is ready for your departure, as soon as Princess Koriand'r is ready to leave. Princess Koriand'r, we have your new clothes." said the Tazaaran guard.

The guard handed her her clothes. Starfire took them and walked with the Tamaranean guards to her quarters. They stood outside her door.

Starfire put on her clothes and looked in the mirror.

Tamaranean royalty wore black, and by the looks of it, Tazaaran royalty wore red.

Her outfit looked exactly the same as the one Blackfire was wearing the last time Starfire came to Tamaran to be betrothed (also what Blackfire was wearing now), except the fabric was red (including the cape), and she wore a half-cape just like Prince Meutoric.

"_At least they had the decency to keep some of the style Tamaraneans use for royal clothing_." Starfire thought.

She put on her crown, which was the same as Prince Meutoric's, except there were jewels added to it.

Starfire walked out of the room, and the Tamaranean guards quickly escorted her to the ship where her sister was waiting to say 'good-bye.'

Surprisingly, Tamaran's military leader, General Rekel was there, as well.

"Well, Sister, I guess this is good bye." Blackfire chuckled. "I never thought I'd see the day."

Starfire couldn't bring herself to say anything. She was hurt, not that she didn't see it coming. Blackfire always pushed her away, which made her feel very alone, especially because she was her only blood family left. Robin and the rest of the Titans use to be her comfort for that situation.

"Prince Meutoric, may we please leave now? I do not see anything keeping us here." said Starfire coldly.

"I do not believe that is your place, Koriand'r. Besides, I have to make sure I have an understanding with your general." said Meutoric.

General Rekel stiffened.

"General Rekel, I understand you have a bit of a, let us say, friendship with Earth considering they saved your princess." said Meutoric.

"Yes, we do, sir. Is there a problem?"

"No problem. I just need some … assurance. After we leave your pathetic planet, we are planning to continue our reign of terror across the galaxy. Earth is our next target."

Starfire gasped and her eyes widened. She pleaded with General Rekel with her eyes to deny what Meutoric was asking.

"We want to make sure you do not interfere. Otherwise, this deal is off and we can destroy both planets … "

Starfire looked at the general and shook her head violently. She was praying that he would remember Tamaran's loyalty to Earth. If Tamaran and Earth joined together, she was sure they could beat the Tazaarans. They couldn't just do nothing. The general was hard in thought, and then came up with his answer.

"We will not interfere." said General Rekel.

"Excellent."

Starfire stood there, frozen in shock.

"Come along Koriand'r, we're leaving."

"No! I will not let you do this!"

She had to get away. She had to warn them.

Starfire shot up into the sky, however, Prince Meutoric was on her tail.

As Prince Meutoric chased Starfire, he focused his eyes on her body, and all of a sudden, a rope of electricity was tightened around her. All though Starfire knew very well who the Tazaarans were, she never knew what powers they had. If they could make a rope of electricity appear on someone's body with their mind, who knew what else they were capable of?

The rope became unbearably tight and shocked Starfire. She started to fall and Prince Meutoric caught her.

Before she blacked out, she thought, "X'Hal, protect them …"

**Author's Note:**

Wow, that wasn't as short as I thought it would be! Again, sorry for the long wait! Oy, I have to get this schedule thing under control! Anyway, the credit goes to my mom for naming Prince Meutoric! Thanks, Mom! By the way, does anyone else want to punch Prince Meutoric right now? I know I do. :P I'm sure you noticed Blackfire didn't say the exact same thing she said in "Betrothed", but, that's because I wanted to change it up a little. So, I've made my 1st community! It's called: "Tales of the Beautiful Red-Headed Warrior Princess". This community contains stories that show Starfire as the wise, selfless, strong, courageous and powerful person she is! No stories rated M are allowed. Only Star/Rob, but if the story REALLY fits, I may allow STARFIRE to be with someone else. Feel free to ask me to put your story in there, but please make sure it fits the criteria! My chapter 1 request still stands. HOPEFULLY, I'll update in less than a week (I'm determined to do it this time!). Review, amabo ("please" in Latin (hopefully that's right))! Now that I'm done with my insanely long rant, have a milltastic day (oh yeah, I made up that word! (millipede + fantastic))! :P

**-Millipedes R Awesome**


	4. Away From You

**Chapter 4: Away From You**

It had been two weeks since Starfire left. The Titans were unconsciously finding their own ways to cope with the situation. Raven had made 2 trips to the mall, alone, already. Although she didn't buy anything, she looked in Starfire's favorite stores. The cashiers would ask, "Where's the red-headed girl … uh … Starfire!" Raven would simply respond, "She's gone." and leave the store.

Beast Boy had spent a large amount of time in the form of a kitten (Starfire's favorite of his animal forms), whether he was walking around the tower or sleeping in front of Starfire's door.

Cyborg had been playing a lot of Starfire's favorite video game Super Mario Galaxy. Starfire said that some of the things on the planets Mario went to reminded her of home. Cyborg usually hated this game, but played it with Starfire every once in a while.

Robin was the worst case. The only times he come out of his room were for bathroom breaks, his one square meal a day (at midnight when he couldn't take the hunger anymore), and the one time he went to the grocery store.

Two days before, they were running dangerously low on food. Beast Boy couldn't go, because all he would get was tofu. Cyborg couldn't go, because all he would get was meat. Raven couldn't go, because Beast Boy and Cyborg would complain that she didn't get enough junk food. They couldn't go together, because they would all fight. That left Robin. By some miracle, they convinced him to go, but when he came back, all he had was 20 bottles of mustard (Starfire's favorite 'drink'). Thus, Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg were _forced_ to go together, since Robin wasn't in any mental condition.

Thank God the city had been quiet with crimes.

Thanks to a green fly on the wall, the Titans knew all Robin did was lay on his bed and hold Silkie, Starfire's mutant pet. He was the closest thing to Starfire Robin had. Poor Silkie was practically being smothered by the boy wonder on a daily basis.

On this particular day, Silkie had gotten away, thanks to one of Robin's bathroom breaks. Robin had come out to try and find him.

"Has anyone seen Silkie?" Robin asked as he ran out into the common room.

He looked terrible.

Robin's jet-black hair was disheveled and visibly contained many knots. The plain white t-shirt and black shorts he was wearing were unbelievably wrinkled and looked liked they hadn't been washed in a while. There were bags under his mask that clearly indicated he had had many sleepless nights.

Everyone stared at him.

"You guys? Silkie is missing and we might never get her back! Do something!"

"Him."

"What?" questioned Robin.

"Him," corrected Raven "You said 'her'."

"Oh." said Robin, blushing.

"Hey, Rob? Why don't you sit down and take a breather?" suggested Cyborg.

Robin obeyed and sat down on the couch.

"Aah, dude!" said Beast Boy as he pulled his shirt over his face. "How long has it been since you took a shower?"

"Since ... " Robin started, but then he looked at the floor. Everyone knew what he couldn't say.

"I mean, I understand like, 3 or 4 days, but 2 weeks?"

Cyborg shook his head at Beast Boys remark, and pushed him out of the way.

"Look," Cyborg put a hand on Robin's shoulder "we all miss her, but _we_ shower. It's been two weeks. I'm not saying you have to be over it, I'm just saying you should at least get back with your normal routine. The city's gonna need us eventually."

"I can't Cy, she ..." Robin started sniffling and tears escaped his eyes. Robin stood up, grabbed the nearest breakable thing (a mug), and threw it against the wall. His emotions were a dangerous mix of rage and depression " ... she freaking _married_ another man!"

All of the emotions Robin had suppressed for 2 weeks straight about Starfire's situation had finally come out to play.

"I MEAN," Robin's breathing had become nearly psychotic. "_WHY_ DOES THIS _CRAP_ ALWAYS HAPPEN TO _ME?_!"

Cyborg knew that Robin's episode would escalate to a threathing level if he let it go any longer. He stood in front of Robin and put his hand's on his shoulders.

"Robin, you need to calm - " the half-robot started.

Then, his eyes opened wide as he noticed the tears coming out of the Boy Wonder's eyes. Cyborg had only noticed Robin's acts of rage. He had never seen his leader even come close to crying.

"What the hell? Are you crying? Okay, I _tried_ to be gentle, but MAN UP - OW!" Raven had slapped Cyborg.

"Crying has nothing to do with being a man." said Raven "Sexist imbecile ..." she muttered under her breath.

"Look Robin. We'll find a way to fix this, we always do. We'll get her back, save Tamaran, and find a way to remove that crap from our lungs." Raven reassured.

The Titans looked at her wide-eyed.

"But right now, you need to go take a freaking shower, because you're making me sick – ugh!"

Raven pulled her hood over her face.

"Whoa Rae, I thought I lost ya for a sec!" said Beast Boy.

"What? Am I not _allowed_ to be uplifting sometimes?"

"Yeah ... but you've barely ever done it before."

Raven gave her boyfriend a dirty look. Since Cyborg intervened, Robin had taken several calming breaths.

"I'm sorry you guys had to see that. Thank you _Raven_," Robin shot Cyborg and Beast Boy a glare, who had not helped the situation "I appreciate it." said Robin.

He left the room and took his newfound hope with him, for it was all he had.

* * *

Robin let the warm water land on his face and roll down the rest of his body.

By the time they finished their decent, they were brown.

"_Maybe I _was_ due for a rinse …"_ he thought.

Robin grabbed the soap and soon bubbles covered his entire body. He let the water take care of the rest as it rinsed them down the drain. Finally, the water at his feet wasn't brown anymore. Robin decided to wait a little before he used shampoo. He kneaded his neck. It was very sore from being curled up in a ball all day. Robin shook his head at how sad that sounded. Then, as he pressed even deeper into his neck, Robin felt something hard. Realization washed over him.

Robin grabbed a towel, wrapped it around himself, and ran into the common room, dripping wet.

"Guys!" said Robin.

The three Titans whipped around.

"Well, I see whatever it is, it was so important you didn't bother to put your clothes on." Raven droned.

Robin ignored the comment.

"I just remembered the tracking devices!"

After Beast Boy lost his communicator while the Tower was being attacked, they all agreed that in the case of a lost or deactivated communicator, they needed to implant tracking devices in their necks in case of an emergency. Only their super computer could shut them down.

"Rob, I get that this is a step forward and everything, but Star's not gonna leave unless she knows her planet, and we are safe." said Cyborg.

Robin's expression faded.

"On the bright side, I should have an antidote in about a week – more than 3 months ahead of schedule." Cyborg reassured.

"And we'll start enlisting help to bring down the Tazaarans soon. We just thought we all needed a break; we weren't in any condition to organize anything two weeks ago after Starfire left. After you finish your shower, we'll track her down." said Raven

Robin was temporarily satisfied.

"Okay." he said.

Robin was about to turn back towards the bathroom, when his towel dropped.

Raven was the only one that spoke.

"Well _that's_ something I could have gone my whole life without seeing … "

*****1 Week and 6 Days Ago …*****

**Starfire's Point Of View:**

My eyes fluttered open to a blindingly bright room.

"Where am I?" I moaned.

My senses began to clear as I realized that I was in a large bed, inside an even larger room. The memories of what transpired the last time I was conscious hit me like the bricks that weigh a ton.

I sat up immediately, but soon regretted my decision because of the aching of my head. I soon realized that my limbs were not cooperating either. The electric rope Meutoric used to subdue me was more powerful than I thought it would be. After I gathered enough strength to walk, I willed my legs to stand up, and walk to the window.

Tazaar.

Just as I had suspected. The trip from Tamaran to Tazaar takes at least 24 hours by spaceship, which means I have been unconscious for that amount of time, or longer.

Despite the royal family's cruel ways, the Tazaaran citizens looked kind, and joyful. I suppose most of them live in luxury, because of all the planets they have taken over. Small children frolicked and played in the fields, husbands presented flowers to their wives in the street, and people performed songs, dances, or poems for the passers-by just for the fun of it. The citizens all wore orange, as Tamaranean citizens wore purple. All had the Tazaaran insignia somewhere on their bodies.

I stepped away from the window, a smile on my face from seeing the happiness of other people.

I walked toward the door, opened it, and found two Tazaaran men standing guard.

"Princess Koriand'r!" one of the guards said, startled "You have awoken. I will alert Prince Meutoric immediately."

"Halt!" I said.

"Yes, princess?"

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"About 32 hours."

"_At least it has not been a week."_ I thought.

The guard walked away and out of my sight.

I shuttered at the mere thought of seeing Meutoric. Not because I was afraid of him. No. I was certain I could do the kicking of his butt, however, now that I was married to him, he 'owned' me. I did not know how he would treat me.

One minute passed and Meutoric came into the room.

"You gave me quite a scare." said Meutoric.

"Oh, really?" I said. "I did not think you would be concerned for my well-being."

"Well, I cannot have you dying by my hand, can I? Even if they did not see it, people would start to ask questions."

"Now the truth comes forth." I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Meutoric chuckled, reveling in his new sense of power.

"My Father, King Raytheon, is making a speech to the public about our future conquests. We must attend."

Meutoric walked closer.

"So I suggest you clean yourself up and make this," he motioned to my body "pretty again. You look terrible."

I was completely appalled, however, I must do what he says.

"I will."

"I will _what_?"

I looked at him, full of surprise. What did he expect me to call him?

Seeing my confusion, Meutoric said, "I will, _Rathgon. _It is a term Tazaaran wives use for their husbands that demonstrates the husbands power over her."

I took in this information and started to walk toward what looked like a bathroom.

"Say it." said Meutoric.

It took all of the strength I possessed not to hit him with a starbolt.

"I will, Rathgon."

"Look at me when you talk."

I stiffly turned around.

"I will, Rathgon."

* * *

The speech is finally finished, and I am relieved.

It was making me rather angry, hearing step by step what would happen to my friends in just two short months.

They do not have any idea.

I noticed that although the citizens cheered, they did not seem happy about the plan. Perhaps there is a resistance?

I decided to explore the palace. If there is any hope of warning my friends, I cannot do it staying in the room that Meutoric and I share. I am very conflicted at this point. I feel as if I am failing Earth, which has done so much for me and I want very much to fight back, but I am one person, against millions of Tazaarans. I would certainly be defeated in less than two minutes.

The guards should be gone for the next five minutes, because they had to attend the speech. This may be the only chance I have.

I quietly sneak out of the room and walk down the hallway. All I see are empty bedrooms, presumably for the rather large royal family. It will take forever for me to reach the more important parts of the castle.

All of a sudden I feel a hand on my arm. It pulled me into a small room.

"Unhand me!" I yelled as I struggled.

I looked at my attacker, and saw a man that looked around my age. He was wearing a Tazaaran guard uniform, and his hair (just enough to cover his head), eyes, and skin matched that of all other Tazaarans. He was rather scrawny, but whoever he was, he was very strong. Stronger than I was. The Tazaarans must also have immense strength. This scares me. What other powers do they have? I do not wish to find out. I struggled even more.

"I do not wish to hurt you. I wish to help." The man said.

"And why should I give you my trust?"

"Do you not wish to warn the Earthlings?"

I looked at the man in the eyes. He seemed sincere, and his rainbow eyes held kindness in them. I do not have much of a choice in the matter anyway.

"Proceed. What is it that you want?"

"My name is Tegore. I am part of the resistance."

"So I was correct. Tell me, how large is your group?"

"Very small. Although they give _us_ much freedom, most people do not agree with what the royal family is doing, but do not wish to speak against them for fear of their own lives. I would say we have about 100 people."

"Continue."

"This resistance has been building for 100 years; since the conquering began. We have just now started to try and take action, because of how strong King Raytheon's plans are."

"But Tegore, 100 people is surely not enough to take action considering how large the army has become."

"We have no choice. Do you know why the wars always end in our favor?"

"No, I do not."

"We are able to absorb the powers of other beings through touch. Anytime one of us gains a new power, it is given to every Tazaaran automatically through our machine that was built long ago. We cannot disable it without it exploding and taking any Tazaaran lives. I understand Earth has many one-of-a-kind super humans. If the Tazaaran army conquers Earth …"

" … They will be unstoppable." I realized.

"Now you see our urgency. Even though we do not have much of a plan, we can start by warning your friends. Do you accept this venture?"

"Yes. What must I do?"

Tegore explained to me where I am supposed to go, and how I am to send a transmission to my friends without the guards catching me. This task was to be carried out in two weeks, when the festival of Ulan was taking place.

"Thank you, Tegore."

"It is my pleasure, Princess Koriand'r."

"Please, call me Starfire."

"Whatever it is you desire." Tegore kissed my hand. I shifted uncomfortably. That gesture was one Robin used often. "Is that what your friends on Earth called you?"

I looked down.

"Yes."

"You miss them?"

"Very much so. One, in particular."

"You love that one?"

"With all of my heart. He proposed marriage to me before I left."

I looked down once more. Why was I doing the pouring out of my heart to a man who is practically a stranger?

"I am so sorry; however, you need not worry. If we are successful, you will see him again. He is very lucky to have such a smart, strong, and beautiful woman."

I blushed. Although he is no Robin, his voice is very caring and comforting; something I needed with Meutoric now in my life.

"Thank you."

I hugged him, and he did not pull away.

"You must go. The guards will be back soon, and it will look suspicious if you are not in your room."

I nodded and quietly slipped back into my room without seeing a single guard. I smiled to myself.

My success was short lived, however, when I saw Meutoric lying in the bed.

"Where have you been?" he questioned.

"I was merely exploring the palace. I was unaware that was not allowed."

"No, not without guards." He said "You had better not do that again, if you know what is good for you."

I sighed in relief.

"Get into the bed." Meutoric ordered.

"But ... Meu- Rathgon, it is merely noon."

"I did not say we would be sleeping."

I cannot believe what I just heard. My eyes opened wide.

"You are not suggesting …"

"Yes. I need not remind you of the consequences of disobeying me, do I?"

I could not speak. I am a virgin, and I planned on keeping it that way until after Robin and I were married. I wanted him to be my first.

"Please, I am begging you. Do not make me do this!"

"You are my wife now. Why not reap the benefits?"

I cringed at his word choice.

"Why would you want to be intimate with a troq? Surely it would not be the same as intimacy with a Tazaaran woman."

Meutoric thought this over for a moment.

"I suppose you're right. There is a chance it will not be pleasurable."

I breathed yet another sigh of relief. I truly did not think that would work.

"I would not wish to be intimate with a _Tamaranean_ for nothing, and what if people find out? However, I must find other means of releasing my stress."

In one fluid motion, Meutoric hit me, and I crashed through the wall and into the bathroom. I got up, enraged.

"HOW DARE YOU HIT A TAMARANEAN PRINCESS!" I yelled.

Starbolts lit up in my hands, and my eyes glowed a neon green.

"I see you have forgotten about the consequences already."

I looked down in defeat, and my starbolts powered down. I begin to suspect that he ordered me to be intimate with him just to make me squirm. It takes much to make me loathe everything about a person, but Prince Meutoric pushes me to that point.

"So, instead of intimacy, I will hit you whenever stress overtakes me, and you will not fight back, yes?"

I balled my hands into fists, and tried to ignore the pain coming from my head.

"… Yes."

"Yes _what_?"

I did not know if I could endure him much longer. I need a _real_ man. I need Robin.

"Yes … Rathgon."

**Authors Note:**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "SUPER MARIO GALAXY".**

How many times has _your_ hatred toward Meutoric multiplied? For me: by googolplex (yes, I really _just_ said that. :P). I do, however, love Tegore. Anyone else?

I'm so sorry I failed my updating goal! :\ I'll keep trying!

I know I went back in time, but I did this for a reason (that I'm too lazy to type out right now :P).

I also know that in Cyborg's reassuring speech (that didn't turn out so well), it resembled my fic: How?, but he had to say _this_ for a reason as well (that I'm _also_ too lazy to type out right now ;P).

I just had to put that sensitive, yet psychotic Robin part in there. If he seemed O.O.C. to you, I sincerely apologize, but I believe he has a side like that that he's definitely capable of showing. Also if Starfire seems O.O.C. in this entire thing, once again I sincerely apologize, but once again I respectfully disagree. Because of this serious and depressing situation she's been put in, she's not quite acting or feeling like her positive and bubbly self.

FYI: You guys can call me Milli if you want! It's not my name, but it's the name I've decided to be called. :D

Reviews are greatly appreciated and encourage me to write quicker. Hopefully, you (my amazing readers) will want to come back next chapter! :D

**-Millipedes R Awesome**


	5. The Transmission

**Chapter 5: The Transmission**

"Man, she's in a whole other solar system called ... the Vega Star System apparently." said Cyborg

"Can we reach her?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yeah, but it'll take about 24 hours. I don't know if we'll have that. We'll probably need to ask the Herald to transport us … when it's time. I don't think you can teleport us that far without hurting yourself, Raven."

"You're probably right. I've teleported to another solar system _period_, transporting 5 people would be close to impossible."

Everyone nodded in agreement, as their future plan was slowly coming together. For now, they just had to wait for Robin to come back with news on the other Titans' involvement.

Suddenly, the boy wonder walked into the room. Robin was back in his uniform and ready to be the leader again, looking as refreshed as ever.

"Okay, so, everyone's on board to help and we have the new Titan recruits covering for them until they get back."

Everyone nodded.

"Aside from getting Star back, we also need to help in any way we can to stop the Tazaarans from taking over other planets. I also have a feeling that they're going to break their deal and go after Tamaran again."

"So ... what's the plan?" asked Beast Boy.

Robin's face looked grim.

"That's the thing, I don't know anything about them aside from the little bit Star told me, or where they're going to strike next. We don't know why they're so powerful or how they attack, so we can't form a strategy. All I know is, all of the Titans, minus those new recruits, are going to meet up here in a week to discuss the plan, and I've got nothing. " Robin breathed an exasperated sigh, "So much for the Boy Wonder ..."

The four Titans sat in silence for a moment, all desperately trying to think of a solution to the huge problem on their hands. No matter how hard they thought, though, there didn't seem to be a way out.

"We could really use Star's help right now ... " said Cyborg.

As if on cue, a familiar redhead appeared on the screen of the Titans giant computer. Everyone's eyes practically popped out of their heads.

"St-Starfire?" Robin choked out.

Starfire fearfully looked left and right of her. When she knew no one was around, she spoke.

"Yes Robin, it is I."

"But I thought -"

"Robin, I am sorry to interrupt you, but you must listen to me."

Robin sensed the urgency in her voice and nodded for her to continue.

"The Tazaarans' next target is Earth."

"What?!" the other four Titans said at once.

Starfire nodded her head in defeat.

"They are going to attack in just two months."

Beast Boy started pacing.

"Ooooh crap, this is bad. This is _really_, _really_ freaking bad. I mean … this is worse than - " Raven grabbed Beast boy by the shoulders.

"Get a hold of yourself. Pacing and freaking out isn't going to do anything." said Raven.

The room became silent. Everyone seemed to be waiting for Robin to say something. He was in deep thought. After an uncomfortable pause of about a minute, the boy wonder finally spoke.

"What information do you have on them? I'm going to need as much intel on them as possible to organize the Titan network."

For once, Starfire was pleased to see him in full-fledged leader mode. She knew there was the possibility of him sulking about her leaving, and that's not what she wanted for him. If only she knew what had transpired …

"The Tazaarans' powers –" Starfire paused for a second, knowing the Titans wouldn't like what she had to say, "they have the ability to absorb the powers of anyone they touch. Any power one Tazaaran gains is transferred to the rest of their species through a machine."

Seeing the Titans' eyes widened in fear, Starfire quickly saved, "However, I was recently informed that the action takes 15 seconds to complete, and the victims still have _their_ powers."

The Titans calmed down just a bit.

"This still can't be taken lightly. There are so many metahumans with different powers …" said Raven.

Starfire nodded, acknowledging the fact she had heard before.

"Do you know what the size of the army will be like?" asked Cyborg.

"I believe there will be about one thousand."

"One-thousand? I would've expected more … " said Cyborg.

"One-thousand is all that they truly need with the powers they possess. I believe with the whole Titans network, including the new recruits, we will merely have about one-hundred people fighting. As long as they outnumber us by even the slightest bit, it is almost certain that victory will be theirs …"

Starfire looked down dismally along with everyone else. She couldn't believe how many hopeless situations she had been in the last two weeks. This was worst of all.

"We're not going to take that."

Everyone looked up from his or her lap. None other than Robin had spoken.

"How many situations have we been through that we thought we couldn't get out of? My forced apprenticeship? Terra trying to get rid of us? Brother Blood capturing us? Trigon taking over the world? The Brother Hood of Evil? Five seemingly hopeless situations in which we all got out alive and beat the villain. We _always_ find a way, because we're the Titans and we _never_ give up."

Robin's speech must have lifted everybody's hopes, because all five Titans were smiling brightly. They could do this. Even Beast Boy and Raven were holding each others hands, something they reserved for private places. Starfire was smiling one of her famous million dollar smiles. Robin looked up at her with both longing and happiness. Oh, how he wished he could hold her right now, smelling the scent of strawberries emanating from her hair.

That's when he saw it … the slight purple and blue mark starting to appear under Starfire's right eye.

"Starfire … what's that?" asked Robin, praying it wasn't what he thought it was.

Starfire's mind suddenly went into a panic, knowing fully well what Robin was talking about, but not wanting him to freak out.

"What is what?"

Robin looked at Starfire sternly. She was terrible at lying or hiding anything and they both knew it.

"_That_ … under your right eye. Is that … a bruise?"

Starfire felt her right eye. Before she started the transmission, Meutoric had punched her there. She had tried to tend to it as best she could, so her friends wouldn't see, and the mark hadn't even shown up yet, so she thought she had time.

"… Uhh … " Starfire didn't know what to say to him.

"Oh my God, is he hitting you? What happened to respect for royalty?" Robin was seething with rage as he paced back and forth, going into yet _another_ episode. "Starfire, you're not some freaking battered house-wife! You have powers and can easily beat the living crap out of him! You don't have to take this!"

"Robin, you do not understand … "

"What the hell do I not understand?!"

Starfire couldn't get any words out as tears poured out of her emerald eyes.

"… I-I-"

"Forget it! I'll go to freaking Tazaar and rip his throat out myself for giving you that black- "

"ROBIN STOP IT!" yelled Starfire.

The room went silent as all attention landed on Starfire. The rest of the Titans had kept quiet throughout Robin's outbursts, fearing his complete loss of control, but at the moment, Starfire was even scarier.

"I am quite aware that I can physically fight back. I have seen a number of television shows in which there was a battered housewife, but I believe my situation is much different. With the push of a button, he can have you all killed, and regardless of whether you have found an antidote, he can still order the destruction of my entire planet. I cannot take any chances. On this planet, I am his property. He can do whatever he wishes with me, and no matter how much I wish to defend myself, I cannot."

Robin fell back, sitting on the couch, taking in the reality of this situation. She didn't deserve this. She's done so much good in her life, and all she gets in return is misery and exploitation. It wasn't fair, and he had to watch her suffer ..._  
_

"Star, I can't watch you … I mean, there has to be a way –"

"There is not. Unfortunately, until this battle comes to pass, I cannot fight him."

Beast Boy held onto Raven tightly. He couldn't even imagine what Robin was going through right now.

Silence, who had visited the room several times over the last five minutes, eclipsed the room once again. It was eliminated by a voice.

"Princess Starfire! The festival is almost over! You must finish the transmission in two minutes!" said a voice in the background.

"Who's that?" said Robin.

Tegore showed up on the screen with Starfire.

"This is Tegore, he is part of the resistance, and has helped me a considerable amount."

"It is nice to meet you all. Princess Starfire has told me much about you."

Everyone gave a slight wave, still shocked at the fact that Starfire's 'husband' was hitting her just for kicks. Robin felt a little pang of jealousy at the fact that Tegore was there for her and he wasn't, but he reasoned that this was better than her having nobody, then greeted him.

"Thank you for helping Starfire … and our planet. I – We really appreciate it."

"It is my pleasure."

Starfire, realizing time was running short, decided she needed to end the conversation.

"Please, all of you be safe. I will be doing everything I can to slow the Tazaarans down and get more information to you."

"You be safe too, little lady." said Cyborg with a smile.

Starfire managed a slight smile herself. She looked at Robin's depressed face and frowned again. All the fire he had before was gone.

"Goodb-" Starfire started.

"Star, we have to talk about-"

"Robin, I have no more time. If I stay any longer, I will be caught and it will all be over. Goodbye, my love."

"Wait!" Robin said. However, it was too late.

The screen faded to black, and Starfire was gone, but their impending situation was still present, and hopeless as ever.

**Author's Note:**

Alright, let me just say that I'm soooo sorry that I not only failed my updating goal, but left you guys hanging for over a month! *hides head in shame* It's just, first, I started writing a bunch of one-shots (DARN PLOT BUNNIES! *shakes fist in the air*), and didn't get the drive to finish them, meanwhile, I had only written a little bit of this chapter, second, my internet was out once, and third I was on vacation some of the time. And so, this is why this was the longest time I've ever not updated. *sigh*

Speaking of one-shots: I actually did end up finishing one after I wrote this chapter, and I SHOULD post soon. It's called: A Serenade. It's a Starfire/Robin FanFiction (I bet you could have guessed). It's a hurt/comfort/romance story, and it's rated T. Please read and review if you'd like! :)

Okay, so I know this chapter wasn't as long or eventful as the others, but sometimes you have to have 1 or 2 chapters like these (more explaining). Sorry, to say the next chapter will be like this too … but afterwards the fight will begin! XD

So … until next time! My chapter 1 request still stands. Reviews are greatly appreciated, and encourage me to write quicker (seriously, you guys would have waited two months if it weren't for those wonderful reviews). Hopefully I can give you guys chapter 6 in under a week as an 'I'm sorry' present! Darn, I've been rambling again. -.- I've _got_ to stop doing that. Ah well, please come back and read the next chapter if you'd like! :)

**-Millipedes R Awesome**


	6. Preparations

**Chapter 6: Preparations**

Robin looked at the surprised faces around the room.

"Holy crap." said Kid Flash.

"Yeah, holy crap is right." said Robin, running a hand through his spiky hair.

"When will they be arriving?" asked Pantha.

"They'll be here in about five weeks."

"So … is there a plan?" asked Bumble Bee.

"Not yet. We've just got bits and pieces. We're going to wait until ... _all_ of us are together, including the recruits."

There was a moment of silence.

"What can you tell us now?" asked Jinx.

"Everyone should know hand to hand. This could be played to our advantage. The Tazaarans probably rely on their ability to absorb the powers of others, so I'm guessing they've gotten cocky and don't train their warriors that well in hand-to-hand combat. This is just something we'll be focusing on. Like I said, after it's been properly discussed, we'll brief you with the full plan three days prior to the invasion."

There was a moment of silence.

"Any questions?"

The faces around the room clearly displayed that the Titans didn't know what to do with that information. Argent raised her hand.

"Yeah, uh … how in hell are we supposed to do this?"

All of a sudden the Titans broke out into a panic. How were they supposed to win when the Tazaarans have the ultimate power? Rumblings of 'We're gonna die!', 'There's no way we'll win!' and 'This is impossible!' filled the room. Robin couldn't handle it, he was already very stressed out himself.

"TITANS!" Robin yelled.

All attention was on him.

"As long as we stand together and keep fighting until we can't anymore, we still have a chance. Nothing's impossible. If it makes you guys feel any better, I've called in a favor."

"What favor?" asked Beast Boy.

"Let's just say the Justice League is going to help …"

"THE JUSTICE LEAGUE?! THEY'RE LIKE FREAKING LEGENDS, MAN!" Cyborg yelled in shock.

Raven rolled her eyes and sighed.

"We can use all the help we can get, and I don't think the Justice League would let a world take-over slip by them." Robin cracked a smile.

The noise grew in the room again, but this time there were sounds of excitement.

"So are there any other questions that aren't filled with skepticism? Otherwise I don't want to hear it." Robin raised his voice slightly to get the Titans' attention.

Everyone shook his or her heads no.

"Okay then, meeting adjured. We're going to meet up here again in four weeks and four days. Three days before they come, just in case. Anyone who wants to stay here for the night instead of going home can."

The Titans all went their separate ways, thoughts consumed by the incredible battle they had to fight in just a few short weeks.

******* 4 Weeks Later … *******

Starfire had been having numerous secret meetings with the resistance over the past six weeks. Miraculously, she hadn't been caught. Somehow, the resistance members had made sure they were her guards, so when she took a walk around the palace, they could go to their meeting place and no one would suspect a thing. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to send any more transmissions to the Titans. Oh, how she needed to now.

Starfire had been walking with her guards that day, on her way to a meeting, when she heard some Tazaaran soldiers talking in a nearby room. Because she was royalty, eavesdropping was extremely unorthodox, but she decided this was a life or death situation. So here she was, listening to the plans of yet another curveball being thrown at her life that would destroy her loved ones.

"If those foolish humans even come close to defeating us, they'll be destroyed." said a soldier, laughing.

"Yes, the large particle weapon is almost completed. I believe it fires relthium." said the other soldier.

Starfire had to bite her lip to keep from gasping. Relthium was one of the most powerful energies known in the universe. Unfortunately, it was only found on Tazaar. The Tazaarans built enormous relthium rays in the past when conquered planets became troublesome. Although the beam is small, it makes craters about six times the size of Texas.

The first soldier laughed again. "Those inane humans don't stand a chance!"

It sounded like the soldiers were leaving the room, so Starfire and her guards quickly walked away.

"We must warn my friends immediately!" she said.

"I apologize, Princess Starfire, but it is too dangerous. The other guards are aware that someone sent a transmission six weeks prior. They are heavily guarding the area." said Tegore

"I cannot just do nothing!"

"We must wait, Princess. Once the battle begins, you and other members of the royal family will be stationed in a ship just outside the Earth's atmosphere. There is a possibility you may be able to escape and help your comrades."

Starfire calmed down, satisfied with this answer for now.

The guards lead her back to her room, sensing that she was clearly in no mood for a meeting.

Starfire walked to the window.

"Robin ... "

*******Meanwhile …*******

"So …. uh … what's it like battling the Joker?!" a curious Beast Boy asked.

The green changeling was on the phone, talking to none other than the Batman. He had called to talk to Robin, but Beast Boy insisted on asking him some questions first.

The Boy Wonder entered the room as Beast Boy asked his first question.

"Beast Boy! Is that Batman? Give me the phone!" Robin commanded, clearly annoyed by Beast Boy's fanboying.

Beast Boy gave Robin the phone dejectedly and slumped back to his room. The only thing keeping him going was the fact that he would actually get to see the Batman in person in just four days.

Robin, Superman and Batman were going to co-lead all of the heros. Robin giving most of the orders to the Titans (who could no longer be called teens), and Superman and Batman giving most of the orders to the Justice League.

"Hey Bruce. Sorry about that."

_"It's alright. He _does_ realize he's a superhero too, doesn't he?" asked Bruce._

Robin pondered this for a moment.

"Hmm ... you know, I'm not sure."

_"I called to tell you that everyone has been briefed for next week, and to ask if everyone was ready on your end as well."_

"Well, we haven't been together since the plan was formed. I'm going to breif them when we're all together in four days."

_"Good. Look, I know I don't ask this often, but, how are you doing?"_

"Stressed as hell, but I'll live."

_"I suppose I'd be worried if you weren't."_

A moment of silence passed between the two.

_"You know, Dick, I'm proud of you."_

Robin was taken aback. First of all, Bruce hadn't called him Dick in years. Second of all, Bruce had never, not once, said he was proud of him.

"What?"

_"Your team, the entire Titan network, the way you handle yourself, and everyone else. I'm sorry I didn't say this sooner."_

Robin was wondering what brought this on. Was it this upcoming battle? Was it the fact that his love had to leave him right after he proposed? Or did he just finally realize what a horrible father figure he had been?

"Thanks, Bruce. I … I appreciate it."

_"Your welcome. Take care of yourself … son."_

Robin really wasn't ready for that one, but, surprisingly, he was able to reply naturally.

"Okay … dad. You too."

_"Bye."_

"Bye."

He had finally gotten it. Approval. Something he had wanted ever since Bruce had taken him in. He was going to make his father even more proud of him.

Robin looked out the window and said, "We're ready for you."

**Author's Note:**

Yes! I made my goal! Just barely ...

Okay, I have to admit, I'm very scared about writing the next chapter. If any of you have noticed, I've avoided writing big fight scenes in the past. They scare me. :/ So, in order for you to actually _enjoy_ reading the next chapter, ANY tips at all would be helpful. I also don't know a lot about the Justice League, so important facts about them would help too. Regardless, the next chapter may take a while to write. Feel free to PM me about hurrying up. It'll help.

Like I said before, this chapter was just explaining, so sorry about it's un-eventfulness. The next chapter should make up for the last two.

Yet another one-shot from me, which should be posted shortly after "A Serenade". It's called: Pedi, it's (finally) a Raven/Beast Boy FanFiction, it's a humor/romance story, and it's rated T. Please read and review if you'd like! :) (Oh, and virtual millipedes or brownies (whichever you desire) to anyone to guesses what "Pedi" means! :P Just think about it.)

All right, they're almost ready for the bad guys! Will the Titans emerge victorious? Come back next chapter to find out! You know you want to … *wiggles eyebrows suggestively* Remember, reviews are greatly appreciated and encourage me to write quicker. My chapter 1 request still stands. Until next time, my lovely readers! :)

**-Millipedes R Awesome**


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